Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating the switch aims to secure the state’s development interests and align it with President Bola Tinubu’s federal agenda.
Governor Fintiri made the announcement on Friday in Yola, the state capital, following what he described as extensive consultations with stakeholders across Adamawa. He framed the decision as a collective necessity to ensure long-term stability and prosperity, positioning the state to effectively leverage the Renewed Hope Agenda in sectors like social welfare, infrastructure, housing, and inclusive economic development.
The governor emphasized that the move was driven by the overriding interest of Adamawa, not personal ambition, and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fulfilling the mandates from the 2019 and 2023 elections. He pledged that all ongoing development programmes—including projects in security, road construction, education, healthcare, and youth empowerment—would continue uninterrupted.
Fintiri disclosed that he is joining the APC with the full strength of the state’s political structure, including officials across all 226 wards and 21 local government areas. He argued this consolidation would return Adamawa to mainstream national politics, attract greater investment, and foster enhanced federal collaboration for the state’s benefit.
He urged supporters to register with the APC and actively participate in the political process, stressing that the defection serves the collective interest of Adamawa. The governor listed his administration’s key achievements, such as infrastructure development, new chiefdoms for inclusion, and various empowerment programmes, as a foundation for future progress under the new political alignment.
This high-profile defection of a northeastern governor underscores a significant realignment in Nigeria’s political landscape, potentially strengthening the APC’s influence in a key region and directing Adamawa’s resource allocation and federal partnerships more squarely toward the centre’s policy framework.
